International Narcotics Control Board
Briefing for Permanent Missions to the
United Nations (New York)
Professor Hamid Ghodse
President
International Narcotics Control Board
(INCB)
Historical overview
• 1909 Shanghai Conference
• 1912 Convention
• 1925 Agreement; 1925 Convention: Permanent
Central Board established
• 1931 Convention: Drug Supervisory Body
established, 1931 Agreement
• 1936 Convention
Historical overview (contd.)
• 1948 Protocol
• 1953 Protocol
• 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs:
International Narcotics Control Board
established
• 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances
• 1988 Convention Against Illicit Traffic in
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Role of INCB
Overall treaty function:
• To monitor and promote
treaty compliance
SINGLE CONVENTION
on
NARCOTIC DRUGS, 1961
UNITED NATIONS
•
To encourage
dialogue with
Governments
CONVENTION
ON
PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES
1971
UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION
AGAINST ILLICIT TRAFFIC IN
NARCOTIC DRUGS AND
PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES
1988
UNITED NATIONS
Quasi judicial function
UNITED NATIONS
Role of INCB
Work focuses on six main aspects :
 ensure that cultivation, production, manufacture and utilization
of drugs are limited to medical and scientific purposes
 ensure availability of drugs for medical and scientific purposes
 identify weaknesses in the implementation of the international
drug control conventions and suggest remedial action
 prevent illicit cultivation, production, manufacture, trafficking
and use of drugs
 evaluate and recommend chemicals for possible international
control
 monitor chemicals and prevent their diversion into illicit
channels
Composition of the Board
 13 members
-
3 nominated by WHO
- 10 nominated by Governments
 elected by ECOSOC for a period
of 5 years
 serve in their personal capacity
not
as
government
representatives
Qualifications of INCB members
• Article 9, paragraph 2, 1961 Single
Convention on Narcotic Drugs
– “Members of the Board shall be persons
who, by their competence, impartiality and
disinterestedness, will command general
confidence.”
Impartiality of INCB members
• Impartiality -central principle
– “During their term of office they shall not
hold any position or engage in any activity
which would be liable to impair their
impartiality in the exercise of their
functions.” Article 9, paragraph 2, 1961
Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
Impartiality of INCB members
• ECOSOC/Governments should ensure that
principle of impartiality is adhered to at the
time of election
• INCB has established internal procedure to
ensure impartiality during term of office of
Board member
Incompatibilities
• Member of Government
• Representation of Government at
international forums on drug-related issues
• any private or public activity impairing
impartiality
Status of adherence to the international
drug control treaties
(as at 1 January 2005)
SINGLE CONVENTION
on
NARCOTIC DRUGS, 1961
CONVENTION
ON
PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES
1971
UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION
AGAINST ILLICIT TRAFFIC IN
NARCOTIC DRUGS AND
PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES
1988
UNITED NATIONS
UNITED NATIONS
175 parties
170 parties
UNITED NATIONS
180 parties
INCB secretariat
 Located
in
within UNODC
Vienna
 Responsible only to
the
Board
on
matters
of
substance
 Acts on behalf of the
Board
INCB missions 2004
• Belgium
• Bosnia and
Herzegovina
• Denmark
• Indonesia
• Israel
• Madagascar
• Mauritania
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pakistan
Portugal
South Africa
Sweden
Thailand
Timor Leste
Dialogue with Governments
Correspondence
Meetings
Country missions
Technical visits
INCB reports
• Annual Report of the Board
• Technical reports
Narcotic Drugs
Psychotropic Substances
Precursors
INCB reports
The annual report
• Analyses global drug control situation
• Draws attention of Governments to any
weaknesses in national drug control and treaty
compliance
• Suggests possible improvements at both
national and international levels.
INCB Annual Report
Three chapters:
•Chapter I: Review of topical issue
•Chapter II: Operation of the international
drug control system
•Chapter III: Analysis of the world situation
Chapter I
Integration of supply and demand
reduction strategies:
Moving beyond the balanced
approach
Illicit drug markets
 Availability (supply) influences
demand for illicit drugs
 Price
 Social and economic factors
 Prevention and education efforts
Recommendations
 Central national authority with
balanced representation of supply
and demand reduction agencies
 Training
 Research and analysis
 Compile effective experiences of
supply and demand strategies
Recommendations (contd.)
 Focus interdiction efforts
 Alternative development
 Combine street-level law enforcement
activities with other demand reduction
activities
 Provide alternatives to incarceration for
non-violent drug abusers
 Sustained education programmes
Chapter II
Implementation of the
international drug control
treaties
Public incitement to drug abuse
• Article 3, paragraph 1 c (iii) of 1988
Convention requires parties to establish as
criminal offences:
“publicly inciting or inducing others, by any
means, to commit any of the offences
established in accordance with this article or to
use narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances
illicitly;”
Afghanistan
• Overall drug situation in Afghanistan
appears to have deteriorated;
• Illicit drug crop cultivation and related
activities at an unprecedented levels;
• Control of narcotic drugs and psychotropic
substances for medical and scientific
purposes remains inadequate;
• Article 14, 1961 Conventions remains
invoked until the situation improves.
Dutch policy on cannabis
• Crucial and significant change in Dutch cannabis
policy;
• Recognition that coffee shops are “not blameless” in
the maintenance of the illicit drug trade and are not
satisfactory in terms of suppressing drug-related
crime.
• Important step in the right direction
• Recognition of health and social problems
associated with cannabis abuse, cultivation and
trafficking is important for the Netherlands,
Europe and beyond.
Other important issues
• Control of cannabis used for medical or
scientific purposes
• Provisions regarding travellers under treatment
involving the use of medical preparations
containing controlled substances
• Use of narcotic drugs manufactured from
seized materials
• Medical prescription of heroin
Chapter III
Analysis of the
World Situation
Analysis of the world situation (1)
AFRICA
• Abuse of cannabis remains an issue of concern
but trafficking and abuse of cocaine, heroin and
amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) also
continue to rise;
• Uncontrolled sale of medications containing
internationally controlled substances persists in
many African countries;
• Most African countries have no adequate
legislative framework or administrative
mechanisms to address the drug problem.
Analysis of the world situation (2)
AMERICAS
• North America remains the world’s largest drug market
but drug abuse has declined significantly in the United
States;
• Eight major international drug trafficking organizations
were dismantled in 2004 and the operations of 7 others
were weakened;
• In Central America, youth gangs are involved in violent
crime and drug trafficking;
• In South America, the total area under illicit coca bush
cultivation has declined for the third consecutive year.
Analysis of the world situation (3)
ASIA
• Illicit drug production and related activities have
reached unprecedented levels in Afghanistan and
threaten the stability of the country;
• Illicit opium production continues to decrease in
Myanmar and Lao People’s Democratic
Republic;
• Significant increase in seizures of MDMA
(Ecstasy) in East and South-East Asia.
Analysis of the world situation (4)
EUROPE
• Cannabis abuse has shown an upward trend in almost
all countries in Europe over the past decade;
• After three successive years of bumper harvests of
opium poppy in Afghanistan, heroin trafficking has
regained some momentum in Europe;
• Abuse of cocaine has increased over the past five years,
with a tendency towards stabilization;
• Availability of treatment for drug addicts has increased
steadily over the past few years.
Analysis of the world situation (5)
OCEANIA
• In Australia, heroin abuse has significantly
declined;
• Considerable increase in the illicit manufacture
and abuse of ATS in Australia and New Zealand;
• Pacific island countries continue to be
vulnerable to drug transit trafficking and the
abuse of ATS.
Report of the International
Narcotics Control Board
for 2004
End of presentation